Diabetes and Depression

Goal

Understand the relationship between diabetes and depression.

Since you were diagnosed with diabetes, you have probably experienced a wide range of thoughts and emotions. This is a normal reaction to receiving any kind of big news, especially when the news means you’ll probably need to make some life changes. It is not uncommon for people recently diagnosed with long-term health issues to struggle with feelings of sadness and hopelessness.

If you think you are struggling with depression, consider visiting the Depression Self-Help Guide here on 7cups and you can always connect to a listener or the groupchat. You may feel uncertain about how to move forward, scared about what life will be like now, guilty about getting this diagnosis, or just confused. Most importantly, please remember that you are not alone in this journey. Choosing to go through this guide is a positive step forward. You are empowered to manage both your diabetes and depression.

Daniel’s Story

Let’s return to the story of Daniel. When he returned home from his doctor’s appointment after he was first diagnosed with diabetes, he at first felt angry. He was upset with the doctor for giving him the news, and with himself for not making changes sooner. However, the anger soon changed to feeling helpless. Daniel knew that diabetes is usually a lifelong condition and he felt discouraged and helpless about even trying to make changes now. He was already sick, right? What was the point in changing now? Then, he started thinking about the major side effects his doctor had mentioned and he found himself nervous about possibly facing those health challenges, too.